MATT McCue, the man who tirelessly fought to rid Swindon of prostitutes until his death last week, has contacted his brother from beyond the grave, says Bob McCue.

Bob, 51, said Matt's message is helping the family come to terms with his death.

The father-of-five said: "It was quite incredible.

"I went to the spiritualist church in Rodbourne with my parents and the medium said a lady with a grey hair in a bun had received one of our recently departed.

"We were told that Matt is well and happy. Although I'm not a spiritualist it has really helped us feel better."

After Matt, 52, died of an embolism on Wednesday at Swindon's Great Western Hospital, Bob vowed to continue with his brother's Street Watch scheme, aimed at clearing hookers from the area.

He said: "I went with my mum and dad for a run round on Friday night and although we need a bit of time to ourselves over the next few weeks, we are all determined to carry on with the scheme.

"I live in Fairford but will stay with my parents in Station Road for a while. After that I'll travel in every day. Before Matt had an operation at the hospital he asked me to look after mum and dad, which is what I'm doing.

"It was strange because he also said he would be home on Wednesday and go to church on Friday.

"Well, he died on Wednesday, and it was on Friday at church that he sent the message through."

Bob, who has 14 grandchildren, said the family is overwhelmed with messages of condolences from well-wishers across the borough, which include cards from Swindon MP Julia Drown and the Wiltshire Constabulary.

"People from every walk of life have contacted us to say they are thinking of us," he said. "And our relatives in Canada have been on the Evening Advertiser website.

"They are printing off the stories and handing them around to keep people informed over there. Everyone is so proud of Matt's work."

A self-employed mechanic, Mr McCue was brought up in the Broad Street area and made it his mission to tackle the scourge of prostitution, which left many residents too scared to leave their homes at night.

Since Street Watch began two years ago, the number of prostitutes seen on the streets has fallen from more than a dozen a night to two or three.

Every night Mr McCue, with the help of his parents, patrolled the town centre and recorded a list of the prostitutes, which was passed on to Swindon Police. The information has proved crucial in helping courts ban notorious prostitutes from the area.

Earlier last week habitual hooker Terri-Lee Pearce, 19, of Penhill, was given a six-month prison sentence for continually breaking an injunction banning her from the middle of Swindon at night.

Alex Emery